African American Studies

Unit 1
Unit 1- From the Origins of Man to Slavery in the New World
Competency Goals-Competency Goal One: 1.01; 1.02; 1.03; and 1.04
HISTORY

GEOGRAPHY &
ENVIRONMENTA
L LITERACY

CIVICS AND
GOVERNMENT

ECONOMICS &
FINANCIAL
LITERACY

CULTURE

Unit Overview
In this unit, the students will study the origin of man in Africa and the developments of
African civilizations. They will study the history of African Americans from their first contact
with Europeans in Africa until their arrival in the colonies as slave.

Generalizations
1. The history of Africa is as diverse as it geography and its people.
2. The early civilizations of Africa flourished prior to and after their contact with
Europeans.
3. Slavery depleted many of Africas most valued resources.
4. Slaves greatly contributed to the success of the American colonies.

Essential Questions
1. How can you explain the economic, political, and social reasons for
focusing on the slave trade in Africa?
2. How did geography play an important role in the growth and development
of slavery?
3. How can you assess the impact of the slave trade on Africa and the
colonies?
4. How did the Middle Passage become one of the worlds largest forced
migrations in history?
5. How did slavery combined with the Triangle Trade help to cultivate a new
economically powerful nation?
6. Why didnt more African Americans resist slavery?
7. How did the issue of slavery begin to separate the colonies into sections?
Unit Vocabulary
Human origins, early
civilizations,
East/South Africa,
Egypt, West African
empires, griots,
Atlantic slave trade,

Unit 1

Institution of slavery,
Africa and the Slave
Trade, Middle
Passage, Slavery in
the Americas

hominids,
domestication,
pharaoh, dynasties,
hieroglyphics, Nubia,
oral history, kinship,
animism, extended

From the Origin of Man to Slavery in the New World

African American Studies

Unit 1
family, Bantu
migration, Swahili,
Sub-Sahara Africa,
manual labor,
chattel,

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manumission,
plantations, Atlantic
Slave Trade,
Triangular Trade,
Middle Passage,

slavers, African
diaspora, cash crops,
overseers, Maroons,
indigo, Creole,
indentured servant

From the Origin of Man to Slavery in the New World

African American Studies

Unit 1

Key People
Mansa Musa, Prince
Henry, Christopher
Columbus, Olaudah
Equiano, Estevanico, Jean
Baptist Point du Sable,

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Unit 1- Goals
What do students need to KNOW?

How to utilize primary and secondary sources.

How to trace the history of African Americans form their
origin in Africa to the new world.
How to describe the diverse geography of the African
continent.
Why the various people of Africa were never united as one
nation.
How to compare and contrast the various African
civilizations.
How Africa was impacted by its contact with the outside
world.
The major contributions of African civilization
Why African were chosen over Native Americans to be
enslaved.
The purpose and the importance of the Triangle of Trade.
How distinguish between the three geographical regions
found in the colonies.

What do students need to be able to DO?

Utilize primary and secondary sources as a means of

gaining knowledge.
Utilize maps and graphs.
Compare and contrast various civilizations.
Use graphic organizers as a means to organize
information.
Successfully take a stance on a topic and provide evidence
to support the argument.

I Can Statements

I Can
I can:
1.
2.

Distinguish the difference between primary and secondary source documents.

use and analyze a variety of text.(charts, graphs, pictures, informational text,
poems, songs)

3. chart the history of African Americans from their early beginnings in Africa to present
day.
4. describe the impact that imperialism had on the continent of Africa.
5. describe the role that the Middle Passage played on the institution of slavery.
6. describe the role that the Triangle of Trade played in the economic impact of slavery.
7. identify the various roles that African Americans played in the colonies.
8. explain the contributions that African Americans made during their service in the Civil
War.
9. identify the major players in African American history.
10. explain how African Americans have contributed to the economic political, social and
cultural development of the United States.

Unit 1- Common Core Standards

READING

WRITING

CMS CCSS Power Standards:

CMS CCSS Power Standards:

R.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support

analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to
such features as the date and origin of the information.

W. 9-10.1 Write arguments focused on disciplinespecific content.

R. 9-10.10 Read and comprehend history/social studies

texts in the grade 9-10 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.

Additional Reading Standards:

R. 9-10.2. Determine the central ideas or information of
a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate
summary of how key events or ideas develop over the
course of the text.
R. 9-10.3. Analyze in detail a series of events described
in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later
ones or simply preceded them.
R. 9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of
history/social studies.
R. 9-10.5. Analyze how a text uses structure to
emphasize key points or advance an explanation or
analysis.
R. 9-10.6 Compare the point of view of two or more
authors for how they treat the same or similar topics,
including which details they include and emphasize in
their respective accounts.
R. 9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis
(e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in
print or digital text.
R. 9-10.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and
evidence in a text support the authors claims.
R. 9-10.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same
topic in several primary and secondary sources.

W. 9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts,

including the narration of historical events,
scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical
processes.
Additional Writing Standards:
W. 9-10.3 not applicable as a separate requirement
W. 9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which
the development, organization, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience.
W. 9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most
significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W. 9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to
produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing
products, taking advantage of technologys capacity to
link to other information and to display information
flexibly and dynamically.
W. 9-10.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained
research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or
broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize
multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
W. 9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple
authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced
searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each
source in answering the research question; integrate
information into the text selectively to maintain the flow
of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard
format for citation.
W. 9-10.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
W. 9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames
(time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames
(a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of disciplinespecific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Unit 1- Assessment Options:

W1- Literacy Common Core Power Standard: Writing Arguments
How if at all, did the slave trade negatively impact the African culture
and family while creating a new culture in the southern colonies? After
reading________________, informational texts, and viewing videos, write
an essay that argues the affect of the slave trade in the new world, and
evaluate the long-term effects on future African-American families. Be
sure to support your position with evidence from the text.
W2- Literacy Common Core Power Standard: Writing Informative Texts

Write an essay to explain the importance of the Triangle of Trade.

R1/R10- Literacy Common Core Power Standard: Reading Closely Over Time
with a Variety of Texts
African American History (Prentice Hall), African American History
(Holt), Copper Sun (Sharon Draper), Chains (Laurie Halse Anderson),
The Confessions of Nat Turner (William Styron), Nat Turner (Kyle Baker),
Breaking the Chains (William Katz), Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
(Julius Lester) - the lexile levels of the texts varies from 510 to 1400.
These books give you a variety of difficulty for students.